An assessment of retention, student experiences, and student success in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at Texas Tech University

Student retention is an issue for every institution of higher education. It is more and more important for universities to see undergraduate students complete bachelor’s degrees as college dropout rates continue to increase and financial support is decreasing (Tinto, 1993). Tinto stated 1.5 million out of 2.4 entering undergraduates will drop out before receiving a bachelor’s degree. Tinto’s Departure Theory (1993) was used as framework for this study. This model describes student departure over a longitudinal period and the decision process involved. The key factors from Tinto’s model used in this study were academic performance, faculty/staff interactions, and peer group interactions. These factors are in the middle of the decision process and are critical to retaining students. Over one million students who leave college will never complete any type of degree program (Tinto, 1993). Students departing from universities prior to completing a degree limit their potential career opportunities as well as costs universities in lost revenue (DeBerard, Spielmans, & Julka, 2004). This study assessed students’ experiences, academic success, and use of retention programs at Texas Tech University College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. By identifying students who are at risk of dropping out or having academic difficulties, CASNR can increase student success, student experiences, retention rates, maintain retention programs for students who are struggling, and develop additional programming that may come out of this study. This study concluded that a program is needed multiple times throughout an academic year to bring all the CASNR departments together. Faculty advising should continue based on the positive response by interview participants. Some of the current retention programs had positive comments and should be continued for future incoming CASNR students. This study also found that students need some guidance on degree program choices during their freshman year.